PRESIDENT'S FORUM

Bishop V. Gene Robinson spoke as part of the 2011 President's Forum Series at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, joining the spring lineup with a talk titled, "Beyond Inclusion: It's a God Thing."

Bishop V. Gene Robinson is the 9th bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church. Robinson has been an outspoken advocate for civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. Working at the state, national and international levels, he has lobbied for equal protection under the law and full civil marriage rights. Robinson made headlines in 2003, when he became the first non-celibate gay clergyman in the Anglican Communion to become bishop. At his controversial consecration, he wore a bulletproof vest under his gold vestments because he had received death threats.

Since his ordination, Robinson has been featured in numerous newspapers and magazines, as well as the 2007 documentary "For the Bible Tells Me So." In 2009, Robinson was the recipient of the Stephen F. Kolzak Media Award, an honor bestowed by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. He is the author of "In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God" which was released in 2008. In 2009, Robinson was invited by President Barack Obama to give the invocation at the opening inaugural ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial. He is also a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. He holds a bachelor's degree in American studies from Sewanee: the University of the South, and a master's of Divinity from the Episcopal General Theological Seminary. The Bishop's next book, "God Believes in Love: Straight Talk about Gay Marriage," will be published by Alfred Knopf in the spring of 2012.